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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Interview: Jeri Smith-Ready on SHADE

Today I have the fabulous author Jeri Smith-Ready here to discuss her new novel SHADE(release's on May 4th, 2010), her cool talents, where the name "Aura" came from, and whether or not she'd want to be able to talk to ghosts.

Tell us a bit (and by "bit, I mean "lot") about your new YA novel, SHADE. What happens to start SHADE off?

SHADE is the first in my new paranormal YA series. It's about Aura Salvatore, a sixteen-year-old girl whose birth marked an event called the Shift. Everyone born after the Shift, including Aura, can see ghosts.

SHADE starts with Aura at a crossroads with her punk rocker boyfriend Logan. They're ready to take their relationship to the next level, if you know what I mean, but she's worried that once he becomes a famous musician, he'll ditch her for a harem of groupies.

Then Logan dies and becomes a ghost.

What is your main character Aura like? How did you come up with her name?

Aura is very down-to-earth. She has a bone-dry, sarcastic sense of humor. She wants to be outrageously punk like her friends, but has a major straight-lace streak. She's pretty jaded about life, since she's spent all of her own listening to ghosts yak about their horrible deaths and the lives they regret. She misses the mom she barely remembers and the dad she never knew.

Her name, well...I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I named Aura after the new Saturn sports sedan. I didn't name her after the car, but when I saw a commercial for it, I said, "That's my main character's name!" I'd been pondering the story idea in the back of my mind for a couple of years but hadn't started writing it. Having the name really jump-started the brainstorming process.

I feel like I should buy an Aura in gratitude. ;-P

What are Logan and Zachary like? Do you have a favorite of the two?

Logan and Zachary couldn't be less alike, except that they're both nice, cute guys in love with (or at least in like with) Aura. Logan has a frenetic energy, always in motion and interacting with everyone. Life of the party, you know. He wants to be famous because he wants the whole world to love him.

Zachary is a lot like Aura--level-headed, stubborn, totally focused on his goals (his biggest one is winning Aura's heart). He's Scottish and a master flirt--the combination is absolutely deadly. He looks like he could star in a James Bond Jr. movie. He has many secrets.

Like Aura, I'm torn between the two guys. Whichever is in the scene I'm writing is my current favorite. But I bet readers will take sides--I can't wait to see what they think of them!

Do you wish you could see and talk to ghosts like Aura can?

No way! I'm a complete wuss and would probably pass out if I ever saw a ghost or experienced any kind of psychic phenomenon. With the rational part of my brain, I don't believe in ghosts, BUT like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, I like to hedge my bets by saying, "I do believe in ghosts, I do believe in ghosts, I do, I do, I do, I do, I DO believe in ghosts!"

What's one cool thing you can do?

I can juggle. Nothing fancy, but I can keep three balls in the air for several minutes. It's very relaxing.

I can also whistle with my tongue. It sounds like the wind howling.

Was this a fun book to write?

It was both fun and meaningful. Like Aura (and like most people), I know what it's like to lose someone who leaves a giant hole in your life. You feel like you'd do anything just to have them around again, even in another form like a ghost. I'll be honest--I cried a lot while writing it (and rewriting it, and editing it, and proofreading it). But they were good tears, not painful.

The book also has a lot of humor. Aura is pure deadpan, not consciously witty like Ciara, the heroine of my vampire books. I thought it would be hard to make their voices sound distinctive, but it turned out to be easy, because their personalities are so different. Aura may be younger than Ciara, but she definitely has an older soul.

What are you working on now?

I'm writing the sequel to SHADE, which will be called SHIFT and will come out in May 2011. Soon I'll be proofreading the pages of the third book in my adult WVMP RADIO vampire series, BRING ON THE NIGHT. That comes out this August.

Thanks for the incredible interview Jeri! And to everyone else, go check out Jeri's website or say hi to her on FB or Twitter. Don't forget to stop by Tuesday for a chance to win a signed ARC of SHADE, courtesy of Jeri herself!

Wow, thanks, everyone, for the great comments, and good luck in the drawing! I am so excited for SHADE's release--seriously, I have to have warm milk and cookies every night before bed so I can sleep. (But really, any excuse for cookies. ;-)

I so can't wait until Shade is released! Not only do I love the cover, I love the synopsis and everything I've heard about it. Great interview! I love where the inspiration for Aura's name came from LOL. I totally think the car company should do a joint promotion with her book :P

Nice interview with Jeri! I've been dying to read this book for a while now and it's so lovely to see comments from fellow readers who HAVE read and loved it. It confirms everything I feel about the book (without reading it) does that make sense? I just KNOW it's going to be good!

Great interview. How funny that the name came from a car. Can't wait to 'meet' the two guys in the book. I'm really looking forward to reading this one. And the cover is beautiful! I'll have to check out her vamp books.

Ahaha, Aura is such a great name! I've never heard of someone who has that name, but it reminds me of Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty)...Anyway! She sounds interesting. I like a sarcastic sense of humour. So having a likeable protagonist will be sure to engage me! :)

The believing in ghosts answer reminds me of a debate I just heard about whether intelligent life is common in the universe. The scientific side won the debate with their convincing explanations of why it's unlikely. But the "I do believe, I do, I do" side won my heart!

Aura sounds like a fantastic character. For some reason I didn't really know much about this book and somehow I missed out on the buzz until recently so I just added it to my TBR list. I am looking forward to it. I like the idea of the Shift and trying to figure out what caused it, etc. It sounds like a cross between a paranormal romance and a post-apocalyptic type novel (like The Forest of Hands and Teeth) but ghosts are so much better to deal with than zombies.

Holy crap looks sooooooooooooo good! I'm really sad though because i know I'm going to looove this book but then I'm going to have to wait until NEXT MAY to read the sequel! Its going to be torture! :p

Lol, named after a car commercial! Though I've always loved the name Aura. And I share the feeling of waiting to be rebellious but really majorly straight-laced... Great interview, Lea, and nice answers by Jeri! Can't wait to read Shade. :D

I'm a lot like her. I'm a total wuss and would be scared to death if I could see ghosts. I wonder who I'll like better Zachary or Logan? I cant even guess I'd probably wrong. :) Can't wait to read this book. Great questions :)